Penny the pit bull abandoned pup survives to celebrate 1st birthday when all the odds were against her. Her mother was too young to breed, and so, rejected her pups. Four of Penny’s siblings died because of the rejection. So, Candice, a devoted rescue and foster parent stepped in.

She gave her puppy a chance by bottle-feeding her, and burping her, and giving her all the warmth and love every living thing needs. And it worked.

Candice wrote on Facebook, “I never thought a year ago, when I brought you [Penny] home in a cardboard box at 3 days old, that this is where we’d be today. Any of it! I tried to save her brother as well but he did not survive the drive home. I wasn’t sure if she was going to make it.”

“We recently moved from California [to Eugene, Oregon] and purchased a 12 acre rescue ranch to foster, rehabilitate, and find great homes for dogs in need,” Candice writes on her website. If you want to help her make this happen, you can buy her calendars featuring Penny’s (aka Sweet P) adorable journey growing up.